


In My Life

by soulofair



Category: 30 Rock
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-31
Updated: 2016-07-31
Packaged: 2018-07-29 00:42:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,286
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7663513
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/soulofair/pseuds/soulofair
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Liz moves on and Jack doesn't know what to do about this.  </p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This was originally posted to LiveJournal (I remembered my login for my profile, a miracle in itself) and FFN. I'm now going through and posting my work here as an archive. Enjoy!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was originally posted to LiveJournal (I remembered my login for my profile, a miracle in itself) and FFN. I'm now going through and posting my work here as an archive. Enjoy!

Liz sat on the closed toilet lid, staring down at the thin, plastic test.  Of all the things she could be positive for, this was certainly one of the most interesting of them.   
   
“Blurg,” she remarked softly, though she felt the excitement bubbling within her.   
   
Carol was long gone, maybe two weeks since they last seen each other, and it had been a month and a half since they last had sex.  So, given this timeline, Liz figured that she was already at least two months along.  
   
First things first: she needed to get this checked out to be absolutely certain.  She made note to Google some obstetricians in the city to schedule an appointment, and then tried to remember the last time she’d had her monthly visitor.  It had been nearly three months now.   
   
Once things were confirmed, she became determined to make this the best thing to happen to her life.  This was her jumping off point, and she wasn’t about to let this last chance pass her by.  She was going to be someone’s mother, and she was going to be brilliant as someone’s mother. 

* * *

Avery gave birth to their daughter three weeks later.  Jack had called Liz at two in the morning, sounding exhausted but enthused about his little girl.  “She’s gorgeous, Lemon.  Absolutely perfect.  Avery doesn’t want people coming to see us until we’re at home for a few days and settled, but she extended an invitation for you to be one of the first to meet the baby.”  
   
“Aw, Jack, that’s nice of her.  Congratulations,” Liz replied sleepily before bidding farewell to her friend.  
   
Four days later, Liz made her way to Jack’s apartment.  A housekeeper let Liz in and led her to where Avery and the baby were.  When she walked into the room, Avery smiled weakly.  “Liz,” she stated simply.  “Jack’s on a phone call right now, but he’ll be here in a few minutes.”  
   
The baby was sleeping in a bassinette.  Liz, who had started to research anything and everything pertaining to babies and children, walked over to the bassinette and instantly noticed that there was a ribbon that had come loose next to the baby’s head.  “Oh!” Liz exclaimed quietly, “It looks like the ribbons on the bedding can come untied.  That isn’t safe for the baby.”  
   
Avery looked at Liz as if Liz had just spoken some foreign language.  “I’ll have Rosa look at the bedding later,” she answered dismissively.  
   
Liz, feeling a little apprehensive about having the baby so close to the ribbon, reached into the bassinette and pushed the ribbon away from the baby’s head.  She still wasn’t comfortable with the situation, but she didn’t feel as though she had any authority to do anything more.  “So, what did you two decide to name her?” Liz asked awkwardly.   
   
Avery took the baby out of the bassinet as another woman walked into the room.  “We’ve decided to name her Bridget,” Avery informed Liz before handing the baby off to the nanny named Rosa.   
   
Liz felt sorry for the little girl, wondering how Avery could be so detached from her daughter when Liz couldn’t bear the thought of parting from her unborn child once it was born.  “Bridget, as in the character Renee Zellweiger played in Bridget Jones’ Diary?” Liz asked as she sat down in one of the chairs Jack had in his office.  
   
“No.  Bridget as in Bridget Elizabeth Donaghy,” Avery snapped.   
   
Jack walked into the room, taking the baby from Rosa.  “There’s my sweet little future GOP supporter,” Jack crooned in a baby voice before realizing that Liz was in his office.  “Oh… Lemon, you’re here.  Interesting choice in apparel you have made today.  I was not aware that they made clothing in that color.”  
   
Liz made a move to stand up.  “Right… Jack… I’m gonna go now.  Congratulations on Bridget, she’s gorgeous,” Liz remarked out of courtesy.   
   
In actuality, Bridget didn’t appear to have been blessed with any of the fortunate physical qualities of her parents, though Liz suspected that she might grow out of her… how to put it lightly… ugly stage.   
   
“Lemon, do stay and have lunch with us,” Jack insisted.   
   
Liz shook her head.  “Sorry Jack, I’ve got rewrites to do, and I haven't started yet.”  
   
“Rewrites?” Jack asked in interest.  “It’s only Tuesday.  You’re not telling me that your staff has managed to get that much work done in only two days.”  
   
“Something’s come upon them,” Liz quipped as she strode across the room and stopped at the door.  “I appreciate your offer though.”  
   
Liz didn’t know what had come over her.  She would have normally stayed and had lunch; she loved food, after all.  But there was something about this situation that left her feeling uneasy about the matter.  Maybe it was the fact that Avery didn’t seem concerned that her daughter’s bassinet wasn’t safe, or that the little girl was handed off to a nanny when there were two perfectly able parents available to take her.  Maybe it was the fact that Jack was moving on with his life, Liz was moving on with hers, and somehow, with the way things were going, neither of them would be playing a major role in the other’s life for much longer.  Maybe that was it. 

* * *

It was April when Jack came into Liz’s office one afternoon in a tizzy.  “I’m concerned about your clothing,” Jack remarked as soon as he walked into the office.   
   
Liz pulled her earbuds out of her ears and looked at him.  “I’m sorry… but what?  Why?”  
   
“Stand up, will you?” Jack said as he beckoned to her.   
   
Liz stood up and walked over to him.  Jack plucked at the cloth of the shirt Liz had chosen to wear that day.  “This…wait…” Jack pulled the shirt out a little more.  “Liz?”  
   
“Yeah?”  
   
Jack pulled her shirt up and his eyes widened.  “Please tell me that your metabolism has suddenly disappeared and you haven’t changed your eating habits accordingly.”  
   
Liz snorted with laughter.  She didn't know why this was her first reaction to this; she was due in two months, and this was the first that Jack had even noticed.  Jack’s face remained solemn in response to Liz’s snort of laughter.  “Liz…”  
   
“I’m pregnant and due in two months… so, no not necessarily a drastic disappearance of my metabolism.”  
   
Jack lowered himself into the couch behind him, the shock not abating.  “Why on earth… no… how on earth have you kept this to yourself?” he asked.  
   
Liz sat down next to him.  “I don’t know… you’ve been pretty wrapped up in your own life, and you haven’t been paying much attention to my staff, the show, my life, or me, so it’s easy to miss.”  
   
“Easy to miss?  Liz, I’m a pretty observant guy, and this is something that would be hard to miss.  You’re about to become a mother, and this is the first I’ve heard of this.  Why didn’t you tell me?”  
   
“Like I said Jack, you’ve been pretty wrapped up in your own life.  I mean, you’ve got a wife and a daughter to be running after now; I’m just one of your employees who is having a baby.”  
   
“You’re not that.”  
   
“Really?  Because every time I try to go up to your office, Jonathan gives me that look…”  
   
“Jonathan always gives you that look,” Jack interrupted.  
   
“No… not *that* look; the look that he gives me that tells me that I’m subordinate to your wife and daughter, which is perfectly acceptable.  That’s how it should be.  But, all this time, I’ve been Liz, your friend, so, I’m having a hard time being Liz, your employee.  Basically, what it comes down to is the fact that I’ve resigned to the fact that I’m doing this by myself, and I’m happy.”  
   
“You’re happy.  You’re doing this by yourself, and you’re happy?”  
   
“Of course.  I’ve wanted to be a mother for a very long time, and look, I’m about to be a mother.”  
   
“But doesn’t it make you sad to think you’re going to be a single mother?”  
   
“Yes and no.  I’m a little scared of it, but I’m excited too.”  
   
“When were you going to tell me about this?” Jack asked her.   
   
“I was hoping that you’d notice when I go on maternity leave.  But, if you didn’t notice by then, I figured a birth announcement would be adequate.”  
   
“Lemon, this is unacceptable.”  
   
“This is my life Jack.  You have your life, and I have my life.  I’m being guided out of your life, so, I’m guiding you out of mine.”  
   
“When do you go on maternity leave?”  
   
“May 12th,” she answered.  
   
“Are you having a baby shower?”  
   
“Jenna briefly mentioned something about throwing me one, so… no.”  
   
“Do you have a nursery ready?”  
   
“Yup.  It was finished last week.”  
   
“And do you have a birthing plan?”  
   
“Jack.  I’ve got it all in control.  I’ve had to learn how to stand on my own two feet, and I’m doing well.  Don’t worry; I’m fine.”  
   
“Lemon, I don’t know about that.”  
   
“You don’t have to know.  You just have to trust me when I say that I’m fine and I’m happy.  That’s what’s important, right?”  
   
“Right,” Jack answered stiffly.   
   
And when Liz went on her maternity leave on the 12th of May, it didn’t cross her mind to go say goodbye to Jack.  Instead, she began the second chapter of the biggest adventure of her life, alone. 

* * *

When little Lucy Lemon was born, the only notification of her arrival was a birth announcement that Liz had sent to Kenneth and Kenneth had brought up to Jack.  “Miss Lemon had her baby,” Kenneth remarked with a goofy grin.  “Lucille Olivia Lemon.”  
   
“LOL?” Jack remarked immediately.  
   
“Sorry?”  
   
“Lucille Olivia Lemon… her initials are L, O, L.”   
   
“That’s right sir,” Kenneth replied, setting the announcement down on Jack’s desk before turning to leave the office.  
   
Jack sat as his desk, not looking at the announcement for a few minutes before failing to maintain his willpower any longer.  He slid the light pink, white, and green card with a picture and stats about the baby across his desk and then he took the card with him as he walked over to pour himself a drink.  As soon as he began to nurse a scotch, he looked down at the card in his hand and smiled.   
   
Lucy Lemon looked every bit like her mother, excepting the shark-eyes.  Lucy Lemon didn’t have her mother’s eyes.  She even appeared to have her mother’s dark curls, even though she was… Jack looked for the date of birth, May 30th… nearly two months old.  She truly was a gorgeous little girl, and he didn’t think that just because that was what you were supposed to think or say when a baby was born.  Unlike Bridget, Lucy didn’t look perpetually angry or discomforted.  Lucy appeared to be quite at ease, maybe just like her mother.  He would have to meet this little girl soon.  
   
“LOL,” he laughed quietly.  “Oh, Lemon… I hope that was intentional.”

* * *

It wasn’t until two days after Kenneth brought the birth announcement up to Jack’s office that Jack called Liz to congratulate her on her daughter.  He’d spent nearly the entire morning staring at the birth announcement, trying to figure out what he’d say to Liz when he got her on the phone.  He’d really screwed up with this, and for whatever reason, Liz hadn’t felt it was necessary to make amends yet.  He hadn’t even been sent a birth announcement.  
   
He finally made the move to call.  When she answered, she sounded surprisingly alert.  “Hello?”  
   
“Lemon, it’s Jack.”  
   
“I know.  I have Caller-ID.”  
   
“Right.”  
   
“I heard about your news.  Congratulations on your daughter.”  
   
“Thank you,” Liz replied awkwardly.  
   
“How is she?”  
   
“She’s doing well.  How is Bridget?”  
   
“Stubborn and very much Avery’s daughter.”  
   
Liz snorted with laughter.  “Well, she’s your daughter too.”  
   
They made plans to meet up for lunch at his apartment the next day.  Though, as Jack walked away from his phone, he realized that Colleen will be coming into town the following morning for an obligatory visit to her granddaughter.  He figured this would be satisfactory to his mother; she liked Liz, and Liz appeared to like Colleen in return.   
   
The following day, Liz arrived five minutes early, toting a diaper bag.  “One of the best inventions ever,” she remarked as she set the bag down next to the baby carrier that Lucy was strapped into.   
   
The picture Jack saw of Lucy must have been from when she was only a few days or weeks old, because Lucy now had a full head of strangely unruly brown hair and started to get Liz’s Shark-Eyes.  She seemed to be incredibly wise and alert for her age.   
   
Of course, when Colleen saw Lucy, she gravitated to the baby and virtually disregarded her own granddaughter in favor for Liz’s daughter.  “Mom, do you want to hold Bridget?” Jack asked, offering his own daughter to Colleen like he was handing her a cat.   
   
“She smells weird,” Colleen said without breaking her focus on Lucy, who had discovered the brooch on her lapel.  
   
“The nanny just changed her,” Jack explained.  
   
“Doesn’t mean that she doesn’t smell weird,” Colleen replied dismissively.  
   
Later on, Lucy fell asleep on Colleen’s shoulder, and neither seemed the slightest put off by it.  Liz and Jack resorted to the kitchen while Avery and Bridget went out for a walk because Avery was upset by Colleen’s rejection of her daughter.  “Colleen seems quite taken by Lucy,” Jack observed.  
   
Liz peered around the corner at Colleen and Lucy.  “She does,” she stated simply.   
   
“How is it, doing it by yourself?” Jack asked as he handed Liz a sparkling water.   
   
Liz took a swig of water and exhaled deeply.  “I thought it was going to be a lot tougher than it actually is,” she finally answered.   
   
“Really?  How so?”  
   
“It’s just Lucy and me.  No husband, no ties other than work, it’s nice and easy.  There isn’t all this fuss in raising Lucy like what you two appear to have put into raising Bridget.”  
   
“That would be Avery’s doing,” Jack corrected her.  “She wants Bridget to have everything.”  
   
“I get that… I just don’t know how you two can bear to be away from Bridget, letting someone else have all the fun that comes with raising babies,” Liz remarked.  
   
“You think the messes, the sleepless nights, the stress, the worry, and all the other hassles that come with raising a child are fun?”  
   
“What’s the point of having kids if you’re going to have someone else raise them for you?”  
   
When Liz left later on that afternoon, she knew that things between her and Jack were probably going to end soon.  Motherhood had taken her life a different route, somewhere where she hadn’t anticipated being at this point in her life, but for once, she’s decided that she was going to let this run its course. 


	2. Chapter 2

It was nearly five years later when Jack and Liz meet again.  Surprisingly, it wasn't at Rockefeller Center or some social event they’d both been invited to.  It was at their daughters’ kindergarten back-to-school night, and neither expected to run into the other.  “Jack?” Liz asked in surprise when she walked into the classroom a minute or two after Jack did, and saw that he was standing up against the back wall.  
   
But before he could acknowledge her properly, the teacher began talking.  They waited until the teacher was done with her presentation, and then properly greeted each other.  “The girls are in the same class?” Jack asked rhetorically.  “How strange.”  
   
When a man walked up behind Liz and placed one hand on her left shoulder and offered his right hand out to shake Jack’s hand, Jack noticed the ring on Liz’s finger.  “Engaged?” he asked her.  
   
“No, married.  Wesley and I have been married for four years now,” Liz explained, reaching up to pat Wesley’s hand on her shoulder.  
   
Jack laughed to himself about the coincidence of this statement.  He and Avery had been divorced for four years now.  He wondered if Liz and Wesley were married on the day that he and Avery signed the divorce papers, making it even more of a coincidence.  “How’s Avery?” Liz asked.  
   
“I’m not sure.  She left the country to go work for the BBC, and I rarely speak with her.”  
   
Liz glanced down at his ring finger, noting the absence of a ring, and inhaled slightly.  “Oh.  I’m sorry Jack.  I didn’t know.”  
   
“That’s quite all right, Lemon—”  
   
“Liz.”  
   
“Liz.  Not many people are aware of things that were covered excessively in Page Six for three months while divorce proceedings occurred,” Jack replied sardonically.”  
   
Wesley shot Jack a dirty look before moving to stand next to Liz and taking her hand into his.  “Well, Jack, it’s been lovely, but Margaret is waiting for us to get home to help put the kids to bed.  See you around,” Wesley said before Liz could say anything.   
   
“Kids?” Jack echoed.  
   
“We have a daughter, a son, and another one on the way,” Wesley explained.  
   
“You’re pregnant?” Jack asked Liz in surprise.   
   
She smiled brightly and nodded.  “I’m due in February.”  
   
“Congratulations on your family,” Jack told them sincerely before watching the couple leave the classroom. 

* * *

Two days later, Jack decided he was going to call Liz and ask if she would like to have lunch with him.  He dialed the number that he had always known by heart, but now had to write down before dialing.  As the call connected, Jack took in a deep breath and waited to hear Liz’s voice.  “Hello?” she answered.  
   
“Liz, it’s Jack.”  
   
“Oh… hi Jack.  You got a new number,” she remarked.  
   
“Yes.  I did.  How are you?”   
   
“A little busy at the moment.  Lucy and Charlie are being a little rowdy.  In fact, I was hoping that you were Wesley calling to tell me that he was on his way home.”  
   
Jack laughed.  “Kids, huh?” he commented.  
   
“Yup.  Always moving around.  Who would have thought a five-year-old and a three-year-old would be so much work?” Liz asked jokingly.   
   
Jack could hear kids in the background.  He pictured Liz sitting in the kitchen of her apartment (though he suspected that they would have moved to another apartment at some point) with her two kids running through the kitchen playing with each other.  He smiled at this sight.  Liz Lemon and her family.  She finally got what she wanted.  
   
“Liz, would you like to join me for a lunch?” Jack asked bluntly.  
   
“A lunch, meaning that this is already an established thing, or just lunch, meaning that we can meet anywhere, anytime, and still call it lunch?” Liz asked with an underlying tone of uncertainty.  
   
He chuckled.  “The kids kind of run you down a bit?”  
   
“No, it’s not the kids.  It’s work.  My schedule is insane.  Some days, I have to go in, some days, I stay home.  Sometimes it fluctuates given the needs of the show.”  
   
TGS had been cancelled four years earlier.  During the last year of its run, the show had gotten the best ratings it had ever gotten, and they had managed to pull together a fantastic final season.  The network, thrilled with the success of the season, was set to sign contracts for another two years when Liz came into the meeting and informed the negotiators that there would be no more TGS; the time had come to put the jokes, the blood, the sweat, and the tears up on a shelf as a DVD box set of the complete collection of shows.   
   
The writers and other staffers dispersed around Manhattan, some staying at NBC, others going to CBS or ABC.  Some of the actors got sitcom deals, others got movie deals, and some had decided to work in stage productions.  Jenna’s sitcom that came about two years after TGS ended had been doing well in its sophomore year on the air.  Tracy had gone on to EGOT once again with his various projects (none of which included him playing every single character in a movie or overweight female dogs) and was doing well.   
   
Jack made sure that the TGS staff had jobs to move to.  He had always felt a strange responsibility toward the show and the staff, always felt the need to keep the people who worked for his best friend in the best possible conditions.  He had always done this, though he suspected it was because he wanted this for Liz.  He wanted the best for Liz, and since Liz had put everything of herself into her show, it was nearly impossible to give the best to Liz and not give something to everyone else affiliated to the show.   
   
When Liz left TGS, she didn’t tell Jack where she was going or what she would be doing.  She didn’t even say goodbye when she had finished packing up her office and leaving the studio for the last time.   
   
“Well,” said Jack as he broke from his reminiscing, “maybe we can meet up when you have free time.  How are your weekends?”  
   
“Wesley and I like to keep the weekends for the family.  We do our shopping, our cleaning, and preparing on the weekends.”  
   
“Preparing?”  
   
“You know, laundry, lunches, pre-making dinners to freeze them… oh never mind… you have people who do that stuff for you.  I mean, I’m completely game to meet up for lunch on the weekend, but I’d have the kids with me.”  
   
“I’ll bring Bridget then,” Jack suggested enthusiastically.  
   
Liz made a noise of concern.  “What?” Jack asked hastily.  
   
“I’m not sure if that would be a good idea actually.”  
   
“Why not?  Bridget and Lucy are in the same class.”  
   
“Lucy and Bridget have issues,” Liz told Jack.  
   
“What sort of issues?”  
   
“Lucy does not like Bridget.”  
   
“Why is that?”  
   
“Bridget picks on Lucy.  Lucy has come home crying because Bridget has pulled Lucy’s hair, pushed her off the swings, and has said mean things to her.  I talked with the teacher about it, and she said it’s a problem.  I’m surprised that you haven’t heard anything about it,” Liz explained.  
   
“Bridget doesn’t really tell me anything.  Rosa knows all about what is going on in Bridget’s life.  I’ll talk with Rosa later,” Jack promised Liz.  
   
“Okay, you do that.  So, this lunch… when, where, and what should I prepare myself for?” Liz asks jokingly.  
 

* * *

Liz and Jack met up for lunch a few days later.  Liz had her kids with her because Wesley had a meeting come up and he couldn’t watch the kids like they had planned.  “I’m sorry,” Liz apologized as she sat her kids down in chairs on either side of the chair that she would be sitting in, “Wesley had an important meeting come up and my mother’s out of town for the weekend.”  
   
“Don’t worry; it’s fine,” Jack assured her as he smiled at the two shy children.   
   
Lucy had thick brown hair that was coiled into loose curls.  Her eyes still had that distinct shark-eye look, but her eyes didn’t wear the wisdom as her mother’s.  She was an adorable little girl who, when Jack made a few jokes, broke out into giggles that proved that she had Liz’s sense of humor.   
   
Charlie had brown eyes, but they weren’t nearly as dark as Liz’s eyes.  Jack supposed Charlie’s eyes came from Wesley.  His hair was as curly as his sister’s hair, but it was a sandy brown color.  He was more outgoing than his sister, but maintained the same sense of humor.   
   
Liz, as she was busy getting her children situated, wore a slight smile on her face.  She helped her children out of their early-fall apparel before taking off her own; handed her son his sippy-cup full of water, and handed her daughter her coloring book.  When she finally managed to take off her coat, Jack smiled at the first indication that there was a third Lemon child on the way.  She sighed as she sat down and broke into a smile.  “I now understand why you and Avery relied on a nanny when Bridget was born,” she remarked.  “I could use an entire staff for these two.”  
   
The waitress came by with a set of menus and a tray of water for everyone.  After they left, Liz went about scouring the menu for things her children would like.  “Do you want to have a tomato-basil-mozzarella sandwich?” she asked both of her kids.   
   
Jack was surprised when both nodded eagerly.  “They like that stuff?”  
   
“They’re my kids, are they not?” Liz quipped as she peered over her menu.  “What are you getting?”  
   
“I’m not sure.  Everything sounds good.”  
   
“Same here.  I think I’m going to get the chicken salad.  Protein, vegetables, leafy greens… everything that I’m supposed to be eating.”  
   
“Since when have you ever been health conscious?” Jack queried.  “Who are you and what did you do with Liz Lemon?”  
   
She laughed gently.  “Wesley is obsessed with eating healthy.  I don’t have a problem with it because he cooks.  And it’s not terrible, surprisingly.  I keep telling him he should start a blog with healthy recipes for busy parents.  But he refuses… he doesn’t think people would like it.”  
   
“Yes… I thought you two didn’t start things on the right foot.  How did you two end up together?”  
   
“I kept seeing him everywhere after Carol and I broke up, so I decided that maybe there was really something to it.  We went out for a few more dates, and I realized he wasn’t as terrible as I originally thought.  I decided I was going to let things happen on their own since I wasn’t concerned with having a kid or getting married, and here I am now: married with children.”  
   
Jack glanced over at Lucy before glancing back to Liz.  “He was consistently brilliant with her.  That’s ultimately what sealed the deal.”  
   
“Really?  Lemon, you’ve grown as a person since I last saw you at NBC.”  
   
“Thank goodness for mistakes and learning from those mistakes,” Liz said as she took a sip of her water.   
   
“Mommy… how do you draw a microwave?” Lucy asked Liz.  
   
“What?  Why are you drawing a microwave?”  
   
“I’m drawing our kitchen,” Lucy explained.   
   
Jack instructed Lucy with her drawing of a microwave as Liz poured more water into Charlie’s sippy-cup.  She had certainly changed in the time that she hadn’t been at NBC.  Her hair was longer now, still just as brown and thick as it had been when she was working at NBC.  Her cheeks were rosier, her eyes brighter (though, as Jack decided, that could have been from exhaustion), and overall, she scowled much less.  She looked much younger than she was: at least ten years younger.  Jack found himself envious of Wesley for knowing this Liz, for spending his life with this Liz, instead of the old Liz.   
   
He found himself secretly wishing it had been him who made Liz happy like this.  But instead, he was on the outside, looking in at her happy little world.  He had once had this life; married with a child, but somehow, the only thing that remained was his daughter, but that was only because Avery hadn’t taken that away from him yet.   
   
Jack spent the rest of their lunch watching Liz and wondering how he had gone wrong and how Liz had discovered the secret to being happy. 

* * *

It wasn’t for another three months that Jack and Liz were able to see each other again.  Something always came up with their families or work, and it was easy for time to slip on by.  Jack called Liz, catching her on the one day that she was free.  “Liz, are you available to join me for lunch?” he asked, almost desperately, as soon as she answered her phone.  
   
“Actually, yes,” she replied, sounding almost surprised that this was happening.  
   
“Where would you like to meet?”  
   
“Dunno.  You choose.”  
   
They met at a little café two blocks away from Jack’s office.  When Liz arrived, Jack was already there.  She looked better than when he last saw her, now showing even more and looking vibrant.  He hated when people remarked about how motherhood looked good on a woman, but with Liz, he had to agree.  He stood to greet her and helped her with her jacket.  She looked tired, but was pleased to see him.  She hugged him and sat down.  “Goodness Jack, how long has it been since we’ve done this?” she asked him as she pulled her gloves off her hands, one finger at a time.   
   
It had been nearly six years earlier.  It had been an afternoon somewhat similar to this one, at this particular café (which is why Jack had chosen accordingly), before babies, spouses, divorces, and new jobs ever came into play.  Bridget and Lucy were factors of the near future, but for that one meal, it was just Liz and Jack, the divorced couple who had never meant to get married in the first place.   
   
The waitress came over and took their order—Jack ordered a turkey sandwich and some chips while Liz ordered a soup and a salad.  Their waitress left glasses of water for them before she took the order back to be fulfilled.  “Thank god… I’m so thirsty.  I haven’t had a moment of rest since I got into work this morning.  I’m so glad my maternity leave is coming up in a few weeks; I don’t know how much more I can handle with work and family both demanding so much of me.”  
   
She took a sip of water, and as she did so, her wedding ring caught the light.  The simple silver band and the no-frills diamond was exactly how Jack had imagined any ring of Liz Lemon’s would look.  He’d tried to get Avery a ring like that, except the diamond had been at least twice the size of Liz’s, and it had been gold.  Avery had demanded a platinum ring with three diamonds, each the size of Liz’s diamond, and because Jack was so thrilled at the prospect of being domestic, he acquiesced, and Avery got what she wanted.   
   
“Are you happy?” he asked her after she had finished drinking.  
   
“Am I happy?” she echoed.  “I don’t see any reason why I wouldn’t; I mean, I have a husband who supports me in what I have chosen to do with my life and is an excellent father to our children; I have two kids who, while they are a handful sometimes, are generally very good, and another one on the way; I have my health; I have my career… what more could I ever want without being greedy?”  
   
“Do you regret leaving TGS?”  
   
“No.”  
   
“I don’t believe that.”  
   
“Jack, I was married to the show and was busy raising Jenna and Tracy instead of being married to a real person and raising my own kids.  I’ll always choose my life over TGS.  That was something that having Lucy taught me.”  
   
“Lucy was the reason you left?”  
   
“Of course.  I couldn’t do the show and raise a baby.  I promised myself, before Lucy was born, that I would never rely on a nanny or someone other than my mother or Wesley to raise my children.”  
   
“Wesley was in the picture before Lucy was born?”  
   
“He’s her father.”  
   
“I thought Carol was her father.”  
   
“Carol is her biological father, but legally and emotionally speaking, Wesley is her father.  His name is on the birth certificate.”  
   
“Why didn’t you ever tell Carol about Lucy?”  
   
“I didn’t want him in her life.”  
   
“Why?”  
   
“He hurt me too much. Granted, he gave me something that changed my life forever, but I couldn’t have Carol in my life like that.”  
   
“But you hated Wesley.”  
   
“I also hated vegetables.  Now look at my life.”  
   
“You settled.”  
   
Liz raised her eyebrows at his remark.  “I don’t think I did.”  
   
“You did.  He was your settling-soulmate.”  
   
“I didn’t marry my soulmate.  I married a man who, as it turned out, shares similar interests and goals as I do.  Wesley and I have created a life in which we both get what we want while compromising on our differences.”  
   
“You settled.”  
   
“Jack, I don’t feel unfulfilled in my life.  The sex is good, the home environment is comfortable, I’m happy, he’s happy, our children are well-adjusted, and we’re normal.  Settling would mean that I am going around wondering what the hell happened to my life.  I am in control of my life and I do not regret a single thing.”  
   
“I don’t believe that.”  
   
“Then don’t believe it Jack; that’s your deal.  But I’m happy, and that’s all you need to know.”  
   
“You’re happy because you’re a mother.”  
   
“Yes, that’s one of the contributing factors to my happiness.  Wesley and I got off on the wrong foot and that was what you have seen of our relationship.  You haven’t seen our home life… you haven't seen our lives at all, to be quite honest,” Liz finished defensively, though she hadn’t any clue how their conversation had turned so defensive.  
   
Liz pulled a face of discomfort and closed her eyes as she rubbed her belly, as if she were trying to rub out knots.  “Are you okay?” Jack asked in concern.  
   
She nodded with her eyes still closed.  “He gets fidgety when I get stressed out.  Lucy and Charlie were like that too.”  
   
“It’s a boy?”  
   
Liz nodded as she continued trying to calm her unborn child down.  “I’m sorry Lem—Liz.  I didn’t mean…”  
   
“No, it makes sense; your reaction makes sense given what you know of my relationship with Wesley.  But I’m happy, Jack.  That’s all that matters.”  
   
Their lunch came and they ate in peace.  Just as Jack was about to start up conversation again, the waitress showed up with the check.  As Jack finished paying the bill, Liz’s phone started to ring.  She stopped in the middle of her bite and whipped out her phone.  “Hello?” she asked as she answered.   
   
She listened and made a few noises in response before hanging up the phone.  Jack had stopped eating.  “Is something wrong?” he asked her.   
   
“That was the school; Lucy got hurt.  I have to go.  But thank you for lunch.  I’ve enjoyed myself.”  
   
She turned to start walking to go hail a cab.  “Liz, where are you going?”  
   
“I have to go get to Lucy,” she replied in an exasperated tone.  “I’m going to get a cab.”  
   
“Nonsense.  We’ll get one of the NBC town-cars.”  
   
“Are you sure?”  
   
“Absolutely.”  
   
Jack made a quick phone call and the car arrived three minutes later.  Once they were in the car, Liz was on the phone with Wesley.  “The school just called; Lucy got hurt.  I’m on my way there.  I had lunch with Jack and he’s just called a town-car, so we’ll be there in about ten minutes if traffic is decent.  Where are you?”  
   
The panic that lingered in Liz’s voice made Jack’s heart hurt, but for the first time in the time that he knew her, she was demonstrating that she was completely in control of her life and had a clear vision of how to take action.  Why she hadn’t been a married woman with children earlier was unclear to Jack.  She was a natural.   
   
She clasped her phone shut and exhaled deeply.  “What?” Jack asked.  
   
“The school called him too.  He said that Lucy was pushed off the play structure and broke her arm.  He’s on the train over to get to her now.”  
   
“Do you need to get to Charlie?”  
   
“Charlie’s with my mom.  I’ll call Mom when I get to Lucy.”  
   
The rest of the car ride was silent, except for the slight tapping of Liz as she texted someone telling them that she would be out for the rest of the afternoon.  When they arrived at the hospital, which conveniently enough, was across the street from the school, Liz thanked the driver and got out of the car in a hurry.  She was relieved when she saw Wesley hurrying down the street to the hospital entrance.  “Did you just get here?” he called out.   
   
“Yes.  You?”  
   
“Yes.  And she’s here?”  
   
“That’s what the principal told me.”  
   
Jack exited the car and stood back as he watched Liz and Wesley discussing their daughter.  He walked over to join them.  “Jack, thank you for lunch and getting me over here,” Liz said warmly.   
   
“Do you need me here?” he asked awkwardly.  
   
A woman walked over to the trio.  “Oh, Mr. Donaghy… I wasn’t aware that you were called about this,” she remarked.   
   
“I wasn’t.  Liz and I were having lunch when the school called,” Jack explained.  
   
The woman, who was a secretary for the school, nodded in understanding.  “Well, I guess it’s a good thing you’re here.  Bridget was the one who pushed Lucy off the play structure.”  
   
Liz’s face drained of all traces of color.  “Bridget did this?” she asked quietly.  “Why was there no supervision?”  
   
“These things just happen, regardless of the amount of supervision provided, Mrs. Snipes.”  
   
“Okay, I understand that kids are kids, but my daughter has a broken arm because someone pushed her off a play structure.  Couldn’t have this been prevented?”  
   
“Liz, let’s just see how Lucy is doing first,” Wesley rationalized.  
   
“And then lose our minds because our daughter got hurt?”  
   
“Yes.”  
   
Liz sighed.  “Lucy got hurt.  Am I out of line for acting like this?”  
   
“No.  But you don’t know the situation and you’re already tired and stressed out.  It’s best if we can judge the situation and then act accordingly,” Wesley explained calmly as he put his arm around his wife.  
   
“Okay.  I see your point.  I also appreciate how you worded yourself, trying to avoid the hormone word.”  
   
They went into the hospital, leaving Jack and the secretary outside.  “Where is Bridget?”  
   
“She’s in the principal’s office right now.”  
   
Instead of following his gut reaction to go after Liz and apologize for his daughter’s actions profusely, he went to the principal’s office to discuss how things would be handled with Bridget.  Ultimately, Jack ended up paying for Lucy’s medical bills because he felt such guilt and shame for his daughter’s actions.    
   
Liz and Wesley ultimately took Lucy out of the school.  Jack didn’t know when this had happened, but one day, when he went to pick Bridget up from school early, he scanned the room looking for a little Lemon, but she wasn’t there.  Bridget later informed him that Lucy had left.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Liz moves on and Jack doesn't know what to do about this.  

Eighteen years later, Jack was waiting at a café for an interview.  He had since retired from NBC, but was now spending his time volunteering for Princeton Alumni Association, which was why he was in that café.  The young man whom Jack was to meet with walked in the door.  He was a tall young man with thick, brown curly hair.  When he asked if Jack was whom he was to be meeting with, Jack realized he knew those eyes from anywhere.  “Daniel Snipes?” he asked.  
   
Daniel Snipes nodded.  “Thank you for meeting with me, Mr.…”  
   
“Jack Donaghy,” Jack finished.   
   
“I’m sorry, Mr. Donaghy.  I didn’t get the phone call until this morning, so I’m afraid I wasn’t able to research you as much as I would have hoped,” Daniel apologized as he took off his pea coat and sat down.   
   
“No worries.  Don’t think of this as an interview, just think of this as a question and answer session,” Jack told the young man.   
   
“Okay.  Well, let’s get on with this question and answer session.  I don’t want to keep you for longer than necessary, Mr. Donaghy.”  
   
The interview went on well.  Daniel was a bright young man with curiosities that Jack felt made him a good candidate for admission to his alma mater.  Daniel kept thinking that he’d heard Jack Donaghy’s name before, though he didn’t know where until about half an hour into the interview.  “Mr. Donaghy, did you know my mother, Elizabeth Lemon?” he asked abruptly.  “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt, but I’m almost certain I’ve heard your name before.”  
   
“Elizabeth Lemon?  Liz?  I knew her well.”  
   
“I thought so.”  
   
“How is she?” Jack asked eagerly.  
   
“She’s doing well.  She just finished writing her third book.”  
   
“The third in the series?” Jack asked.  
   
Daniel nodded.  “It’s taken her a few years, but she’s finally finished.”  
   
“And how are your siblings?”  
   
“Lucy is about to graduate from Stanford with a degree in Organic Chemistry and Charlie is a sophomore at Brown.”  
   
“Your father?”  
   
“He’s retired now, but has taken up genealogy.”  
   
“Oh, that’s interesting,” Jack replied.  
   
“It really isn’t, but he likes it, so we put up with it,” Daniel replied quietly.   
   
The conversation turned from Princeton and Daniel’s education to Daniel’s family.  Jack found himself recounting stories about Liz to Daniel, laughing at the ridiculous memories.  “Did your mother ever tell you that we were married?” Jack asked as he had finished telling Daniel about the time he had accompanied Liz to her class reunion.   
   
“She did.  Sounds like it was a great party,” Daniel remarked.   
   
“It was.  She was wearing a white tennis shirt and mosquito netting.  Shoes on a beach… does she still have a thing about hiding her feet?”  
   
“No, she had surgery to fix the problem,” Daniel explained.  
   
“What was the problem?”  
   
“I’m not at liberty to say.  She instructed us never to tell.”  
   
“Okay,” Jack agreed.   
   
The conversation continued, and before either of them knew it, it was nearly dark.  “Mr. Donaghy, this has been very enjoyable, but I promised I would be home for dinner.  I should be getting going,” Daniel told Jack.   
   
Jack stood up as Daniel did so, and stuck his hand out for a handshake.  “You’re a good man, Daniel Snipes.  Your mother raised you well.”  
   
“Thank you; she’d appreciate you saying that.”  
   
“Why do you think I said it?”  
   
They shook hands and then bid each other farewell.  Daniel walked out of the café and turned toward the subway station.  Jack followed him out of the café, but turned the opposite direction.  He wasn’t planning on saying anything else, but realized there was something he hadn’t said.  “And Daniel,” Jack called out to the young man.  
   
“Yes, Mr. Donaghy?” Daniel asked as he spun around.   
   
“Call me Jack.”  
   
“Okay… yes, Jack?”  
   
“Say hello to your mother for me.  Tell her that Jack says hello and that he’s sorry.”  
   
“For anything in particular?” Daniel called back.  
   
Jack thought for a moment.  “Tell her that Jack Donaghy is sorry for being an idiot who didn’t see what he had until it was gone.  Will you do that?”  
   
“Of course, Jack.  I’ll tell her that.”  
   
“And one last thing Daniel.”  
   
“Yes?”  
   
“Do great things.  Can you do that?”  
   
“Of course Jack.”  
   
“Good.  Now, get home and get to doing great things.”  
   
Daniel smiled and nodded before turning back to walk to the subway station, leaving Jack to stand in the brisk December afternoon.  Jack knew that Daniel would uphold his end of the deal, and that in a few hours Daniel would find the business card Jack had slipped in his coat while Daniel had been paying for his coffee and muffin.  Jack knew that in a few days, at most, he’d be hearing from Liz Lemon.   
   
And maybe this time, Jack would do things properly.  After all, Elizabeth Lemon was the first and only woman who had shown Jack Donaghy that he’d been doing things wrong all along. 


End file.
